Placing Plywood In Attic

If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

Placing plywood in attic.

Cut the plywood into manageable strips about 10 inches wide to make the job easier. Install two by four blocking between joists or wherever needed to support edges of the plywood that do not have support from the bottom. Plywood serves capably as ceiling material in garages shops and rec rooms when aesthetic design is not an issue. Laying the plywood flooring.

Plywood or chipboard is the least expensive option for storage flooring. While this is not the optimal setup it is acceptable to have ceiling joists covered with plywood or osb to use for light attic storage of dead loads. It might seem impossible to haul it up to the attic. The finished subfloor should look like a grid.

Since the boards are sold in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets you may need to cut them into 2 foot wide strips to get them into the attic space. In attics built purely for storage purposes you may find 2x6 ceiling joists or in some cases even 2x4 joists. Plywood comes in large sheets. Some screwed others not.

My attic is located above my garage and currently the former owner had random pieces of plywood placed up there. I wanted to add more plywood to the area and wanted to know if any specific type i should use. The decision regarding the thickness of plywood to use for the subfloor in the attic has a lot to do with how you intend to use the attic and it also depends on the spacing of the ceiling joists. Ensuring adequate insulation under the flooring.

Maneuvering heavy 4 x 8 sheets of plywood or osb oriented strand board up to an unfinished attic is sometimes like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I assume 3 4 inch but there are many types brands to choose from. To make the job easier use a circular saw to cut the plywood sheet first into 2 2 8 strips which will be much easier to handle. If necessary block around them with plywood or corrugated cardboard to prevent the insulation from piling up on the vent.

Plywood allows easier access to pipes ducts and wiring than drywall. The wood should be at least 5 8 inch thick to handle a heavy load. To give yourself enough space to ensure adequate insulation under the flooring construct a riser of 2 x 4 s in the attic over the existing joists. Plywood is viable as a ceiling material particularly in the basement.